Game room extends nighttime hours

Beginning this week, the game room in the UC will be open until 2 a.m.The Lansing Court entrance across from Maclellan Gymnasium will remain open, and students will have access to the game room, computer lab and surrounding gallery, Shannon Smith, director of the UC, said.

"As time goes on, there can be some late night activities in the Chattanooga room," Smith said.

The extension of hours is one of the projects being funded by the stimulus money UTC received last spring from the federal government, she said.

Craig Hawkins, a Chattanooga junior, said he is unhappy with the university's choice of spending.

"I think it's ridiculous that the game room can stay open until 2 a.m., but the library hours have been cut when the library has a lot more valuable resources than the game room," Hawkins said.

Students are often awake late, and the university wanted to have a safe place for they to go, Smith said.

A security guard will be on duty until the UC closes, she said.

"This has been in discussion for a couple of years to meet the needs of students," Smith said.

Leah Noreman, a freshman from Plain, N.Y., said she and her friends spend a lot of time in the game room at night playing pool or cards.

"We'll be here until 2 a.m. because we are up anyway," Noreman said.

Smith said she is hopeful about the change in hours.

"I'm optimistic that it's going to meet student needs," she said.

Ashish Daniel, a Chattanooga freshman, regularly plays pool in the game room.

"I don't stay up that late," Daniel said. "[The change] doesn't really make much difference to me."

Kent Green, a Memphis junior, said he has never been to the game room.

"I hear there's a pool table and that definitely makes me want to go down there," Green said.